Weaving method and gripper shuttle weaving machine for carrying out said method



Oct. 26, 1965 H. FLUHMANN 3,213,892

WEAVING METHOD AND GRIPPER SHUTTLE WEAVING MACHINE FOR CARRYING OUT SAID METHOD Filed Oct. 15, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.7

Oct. 26, 1965 H. FLUHMANN 3,213,892

WEAVING METHOD AND GRIPPER SHUTTLE WEAVING MACHINE FOR CARRYING OUT SAID METHOD Filed Oct. 15, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 11 "b S S (j 74 =t0tal length of thread including the port on the storage device Oct. 26, 1965 H. FLUHMANN WEAVING METHOD AND GRIPPER SHUTTLE WEAVING' MACHINE FOR CARRYING OUT SAID METHOD 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed 00'6- 15, 1963 United States Patent 3,213,892 WEAVING METHOD AND GRIPPER SHUTTLE WEAVING MACHINE FOR CARRYING OUT SAID METHOD Heinrich Fliihmann, Krefeld, Germany, assignor to Maschinenfabrik Carl Zangs Aktiengesellschaft, Krefeld, Germany Filed Oct. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 316,271 Claims priority, application Germany, Oct. 17, 1962, M 54,531; Apr. 11, 1963, M 56,458 12 Claims. '(Cl. 139-126) The present invention relates to a weaving method and a gripper shuttle machine for carrying out said method. Gripper looms or gripper shuttle weaving machines are known in which the weft is withdrawn directly from the cop While avoiding weft bobbins. The heretofore known designs of this type of looms or weaving machines are, however, unsuitable for the processing of silk and rayon. With the gripper shuttle weaving machines, the guiding means for the shuttle interfere, which guiding means have to extend through the warp forming the shed.

With gripper looms having two gripper bars working from both sides in opposite directions, the transfer of the thread causes certain difficulties. On the other hand, unilaterally working gripper looms do not have the desired weaving output.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a weaving method and machine for carrying out the same, which will overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide a weaving machine for carrying out the method as set forth above, which will be simple in design and reliable in operation While assuring a sufficiently high output.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 diagrammatically illustrates the arrangement and the course of the gripper shuttle;

FIGURE 2 shows the thread clamping nose of the shuttle in its closing position;

FIGURE 3 illustrates the thread clamping nose of the shuttle in opened position;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing the slide shuttle in the shuttle-box;

FIGURE 5 illustrates the opening device for the thread holding pliers;

I FIGURE 6 diagrammatically illustrates the arrangement and course of the gripper shuttle of a storing device;

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of the storing device;

FIGURE 8 is an illustration of a stripping device;

FIGURE 9 shows how the support pins over which the extra length of weft thread is drawn can be made adjustable.

The present invention is characterized primarily in that the gripper shuttle each time Withdraws from the cop the thread length of two wefts, and that the thread length corresponding to the second weft is shot in during the return of the shuttle. According to an embodiment which has proved highly successful in practice, the moved sley and the sley-plate together have a length equalling two weaving widths and one shuttle length. In this way, a sufficient length can be withdrawn for the weft.

Arranged in the gripper shuttle is a resiliently sup ported thread clamping nose provided with a control segment adapted in the end position of the shuttle to open the clamping device so that the thread can be transferred. Above the thread-holding pliers at the loombox there is provided a suction pipe adapted to be lifted and lowered, and means for tensioning the thread being located below the sley path. At the entrance of the shuttle-box, there is provided a pair of scissors for cutting off the superfluous thread portion. At the said entrance there is also provided an abutment adapted to deviate and intended for the clamping nose of the shuttle, so that this clamping nose may release the thread end.

In order to avoid too great a width of the weaving machine, it is, in conformity with the present invention, also possible, for purposes of storing half of the withdrawn double length of the weft, to arrange adjacent the shed a tiltable lever which is adapted to receive the thread and to place the thread in form of a loop above the circularly arranged supporting pins, or the like. This makes it possible considerably to shorten the width of the loom, so that a weaving machine of this type is only immaterially wider than the heretofore known weaving machines provided with one shuttle. According to a further development of the said storing device, the lever may be equipped with a follower pin for the thread, from which pin the thread loop may be stripped when the tiltable lever occupies its end position. To this end, adjacent the path of the tiltable lever, there is provided a reciprocating and upwardly and downwardly movable stripper pin which, for insance, is displaceable on a supporting bolt by means of a sleeve, or the like, and which is equipped with a control roller adapted to roll along a curved sliding path. By means of this stripping device, the thread loop is stripped in the end position of the lever when the gripper shuttle returns from the follower pin.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the shuttle 1 rests on the sley-plate 8 (FIG. 1) and moves over the sley path 9 when the shuttle is hit by the picker 10 (FIG. 4). In the front lateral guide 11 of the shuttle-box 12 there is provided a recess 11a for a purpose which will presently appear. Shuttle 1 is provided with a cut-out 1a (FIGS. 2 and 3) for receiving a clamping lever 3 pivotally mounted on pivot 6, which is journalled in shuttle 1. Lever 3 has a clamping nose 4 with an inclined clamping surface 4a for cooperation with a corresponding clamping surface 2 of shuttle 1 to temporarily clamp and hold a weft. A spring 7 interposed between lever 3 and a depression 1b in cut-out 1a continuously urges lever 3 into its weft clamping position. Lever 3 is furthermore provided with a control segment 5 having a cam surface 5a adapted to be engaged by a cam 11b on the front shuttle guide 11.

From the above and FIGS. 2 to 4, it will be evident that when shuttle 1, under the impact of picker 10, moves from its FIG. 4 position toward the right (with regard to FIG. 4), lever 3 will move into cut-out 1a when cam surface 5a slides along cam 11b. As a result thereof, the clamping nose 4 grips the thread or weft 13 which is tensioned in a direction perpendicular to the course of the shuttle. The nose grips the weft 13 and, in cooperation With surface 2, clamps the weft against the shuttle at the very instant when the control segment 5 is released, i.e., cam surface 5a leaves cam 11b and nose 4 is tilted by spring 7 into its clamping position. Thread 13 is now being Withdrawn from a cop 14 through a bore 12a in the bottom of the shuttle-box 12. The thread to be grasped and clamped by nose 4 is held by pliers 15 (FIG. 5) which are arranged above the shuttle-box. In FIGURE 5, the front shuttle guide 11 is removed from sley plate 8 for greater clarity. The legs of the pliers are pressed against each other by means of a pressure spring 16.

When the shuttle has gripped the weft 13 and is knocked off by picker 10, it pulls from the cop a total length of thread which substantially equals twice the length s of the weft plus the distance b from the opening 12:: to the first warp. When the shuttle 1 has arrived in the oppositely located shuttle box, 11b, in FIGURE 7, the reed action is effected and one weft length has been properly shot through and located. Subsequently, the'cutting-oif of the thread by scissors 17 is effected so that a folding-in end a remains, and the shuttle 1 which retains the end of the weft thread clamped thereto is returned to its first shuttle-box by another picker a so that the second weft will be shot through the shed. When leaving the shed on its way back to the first shuttle-box, the control segment 5 engages an abutment 23 whereby the thread end clamped in by nose 4 is freed. Now, scissors 17 cut off from the thread length s+a the section a which was clamped to the shuttle until it is released therefrom, when, as mentioned above, segment 5 engages abutment 23. The cut-off lost small thread end is withdrawn by a suction tube 24.

The abutment 23 is adapted by means of a control lever to be moved out of the path of control segment 5 e.g., upwardly, when the shuttle moves from the first shuttle-box to the second shuttle-box, so that the thread clamping mechanism 2 to 7 will not be affected during this movement.

As will be evident from FIG. 5, above the opening 12a in sley plate 8 there is provided a suction tube 18 which sucks in and holds the cut-off thread end b-a protruding above the closed pliers 15. Tube 18 is lowered while being controlled by an eccentric of the weaving machine. Together with the suction tube 18 there is lowered a holder 19 on which is mounted an opening wedge 20. This wedge 20 opens the clamping pliers 15 while the suction tube 18 is lowered onto the sley path 9 above the opening 12a. The cut-off end of the length b-a is, by means of suction tube 18, drawn in to such an extent that the thread 13 remains tensioned. Thereupon, the thread guide 22 mounted on a two-arm, lever 21 moves outwardly to such an extent that only a small remainder of the thread remains in tube 18. This twoarm lever 21 is controlled by an eccentric of the weaving machine.

Subsequently, tube 18 moves toward the top while simultaneously therewith the clamping pliers 15 are closed again so that thread 13 will be held ready for the next withdrawal.

In order to save in width, the weaving machine may be provided with a storing device for the thread. Such device has been shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 6 to 8.

Shuttle 1 which, in conformity with FIG. 6 has been knocked from the left through the warps 26 of the fabric to be produced, pulls the double weft length 13 toward the right-hand side of the warps. When leaving the warps, this thread 13 is grasped by a lever 27 which is connected to and tiltable by means of a pivotally journalled shaft 28. This tilting movement is, in conformity with FIG. 7, brought about by a pull-rod 29 which acts, for instance, on a link 30 from which the movement is transmitted through gears 31 and 32 to shaft 28 connected to gear 32. Lever 27 carries a pin 33 which is adapted to pull thread 13 in the form of a loop over the circularly arranged supporting pins 34. When the gripper shuttle 1 is in the shuttle-box 12b, the lever 27 will have reached the right-hand end position shown in FIG. 7 and will have correspondingly tensioned the thread 13. In this way, thread 13 will be stored.

When the second half of the double weft length is to be shot in, in other words, when shuttle 1 is again knocked toward the left through the warps, thread 13 has to be removed from the follower pin. To this end, in conformity with FIG. 8, there is provided a stripper pin 35 which is arranged near lever 27. This stripper pin is mounted on a sleeve 36 connected toa supporting bolt 37 which in its turn is controlled by an angle lever 38. Arranged on sleeve 36 is an arm 39 with a slide roller 40 which is located between curved guiding means 41.

As will be evident from FIG. 8, guiding means 41, when occupying the end position thereof shown in FIG. 8, are offset with regard to the supporting bolt 37 to such an extent that the stripper pin 35 will be located in the lifted position of FIG. 8. In this position, lever 27 with thread 13 can move to its end position. When it is intended to withdraw thread 15 from the stripper pin 35, sleeve 36 is by bolt 37 moved toward the right with regard to FIG. 8. In view of the curvature of the guiding means 41, the stripper pin 35 is moved so that in response to a further displacement, it will strip off thread 13 from the follower pin 33. Thus, the thread portion 13 has been freed for being shot between the warps may, for instance, be provided with links 43 which have their other ends connected to .an adjusting disc 44. By turning this disc 44, it is possible, in a very simple manner, simultaneously to adjust all supporting pins 34 by the same amount.

It is, of course, 'to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular arrangement shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, instead of the individual supporting pins 34, also adjustable cam bands, or the like, may be provided.

What I claim is:

1. In a weaving machine: sley means, a shuttle movable over said sley means in opposite directions and adapted to withdraw a weft thread directly from a cop when moving in one direction, said sley means having an effective length greater than one weaving width, said shuttle including a clamping member pivotally supported by said shuttle and provided with a cam surface, spring means continuously urging said clamping member into clamping position, means supported by said sley means and operable to engage said cam surface for moving said clam-ping member into opened position along said sley means when said shuttle is positioned near said cop, and storage means adjacent said sley means and separate from said shuttle for engaging the weft thread in excess of aweaving width drawn through the warp shed by the shuttle and operable for storing the said excess thread for a return movement of the shuttle along the sley means.

2. In a weaving machine: sley means, a shuttle movable over said sley means in opposite directions and adapted to withdraw a weft thread directly from a cop when moving in one direction, said sley means having an effective length greater than one weaving width, weft thread holding means operatively associated with said sley means and normally occupying a clamping position for holding clamped therein a weft thread withdrawn from a cop, said holding means also being operable to be opened to permit a weft thread freely to pass therethrough, suction pipe means arranged above said holding means and movable toward and away therefrom for grasping a weft thread end and holding the same, thread tensioning means arranged below said sley means and interposed between a cop and said holding means for tensioning a weft thread being passed from said cop to said holding means, and storage means adjacent said sley means and separate from said shuttle for engaging the weft thread in excess of a weaving width drawn through the warp shed by the shuttle and operable for storing the said excess weft thread for a return movement of the shuttle along the sley means.

3. In a weaving machine: sley means, weft withdrawing means including a shuttle movable over said sley means in opposite directions and adapted to withdraw a weft thread directly from a cop when the shuttle moves in one direction, a shuttle box associated with said sley means for receiving a shuttle, cutting means arranged near the entrance of said shuttle box, weft thread clamping means associated with said shuttle for clamping a weft thread portion therein, and control means associated with said sley means and movable into and out of the path of said shuttle, said control means being operable during the return movement of said shuttle to said shuttle box to make said clamping means ineffective, said sley means having an effective length substantially greater than one weaving width, and storage means adjacent said sley means and separate from said shuttle for engaging the weft thread in excess of a weaving width drawn through the warp shed by the shuttle and operable for storing the said excess weft thread for a return movement of the shuttle along the sley means.

4. A weaving machine according to claim 2, in which said suction pipe means has associated therewith means operable for engaging and opening said holding means in response to movement of said suction pipe means toward said holding means.

5. In a weaving machine: sley means, weft withdrawing means including a shuttle movable over said sley means in opposite directions and adapted when moving in one direction directly from a cop to withdraw for each weaving cycle twice the length of a weft to be shot between the warps of a fabric being produced, said weft withdrawing means also including storage means adjacent the sley means separate from said shuttle operable during the movement of the shuttle in one direction to store of the weft withdrawn by said shuttle at least approximately the length of one weft, and weft release means operable in response to the movement of said shuttle in the opposite direction to release the weft from said storage means to permit said shuttle to shoot the same between said warps.

6. A weaving machine according to claim 5, in which said storage means includes supporting pin means and tiltable lever means for placing a portion of the weft withdrawn by said shuttle in form of a loop over said pin means.

7. A weaving machine according to claim 6, in which said tiltable lever means carries a pulling pin for supportingly engaging the loop end of the weft being stored, and said weft release means comprises means to pull said loop end of the stored weft off said pulling pin.

8. A weaving machine according to claim 7, in which said means to pull said loop end of the stored weft off said pulling pin comprises a reciprocable pin movable upwardly and downwardly and arranged adjacent the path of said pulling pin.

9. In a Weaving machine: sley means, weft withdrawing means including a shuttle movable over said sley means in opposite directions and adapted when moving in one direction directly from a cop to withdraw for each weaving cycle twice the length of a weft to be shot between the warps of a fabric being produced, picker means for moving said shuttle in one direction and in the opposite direction, storage means adjacent the sley means separate from said shuttle and operable during the movement of said shuttle in one direction to store a portion of the total length of the weft withdrawn by said shuttle for each cycle, said shuttle being operable during the movement thereof in one direction to shoot a weft length between the warps of a fabric being produced, weft releasing means operable in response to a predetermined position of said shuttle following the shooting of a weft length between the warps of a fabric being produced to remove the stored weft from said storage means, and control means operatively connected with said weft releasing means and including cam and roller means for actuating said weft releasing means.

10. A weaving machine according to claim 6, in which said supporting pin means are adjustable, and which includes adjusting means common to said supporting pin means for simultaneously adjusting the same.

11. In a weaving machine: sley means, weft withdrawing means including a shuttle movable over said sley means in opposite directions and adapted to withdraw a thread directly from a cop when moving in one direction, said weft withdrawing means also including storage means adjacent the sley means separate from said shuttle and operable during the movement of the shuttle in one direction and in cooperation with said shuttle to withdraw from said cop a weft length of at least two wefts, said shuttle being operable when moving in one direction to shoot one weft length from said withdrawn weft between the warps of the fabric being produced, and means operable in response to a predetermined position of said shuttle following the shooting of said one weft between the warps of the fabric being produced to release the weft portion from said storage means to permit said shuttle when moving in the other direction to shoot the said released weft portion between the warps of the fabric being produced.

12. In a weaving machine: sley means, weft withdrawing means including a shuttle movable over said sley means, said shuttle when moving in one direction being operable to withdraw one weft length directly from a cop, said weft withdrawing means also including storage means adjacent the sley means separate from said shuttle and operable during the movement of said shuttle in said one direction to withdraw a second weft length directly from the same cop, said shuttle being operable when moving in one direction to shoot the one weft length withdrawn thereby between the warps of the fabric being produced, and means operable in response to a predetermined position of said shuttle following the shooting of said one weft length between the warps of the fabric being produced to release the second weft length from said storage means to permit said shuttle When moving in the other direction to shoot the said second weft length between the warps of the fabric being produced.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 635,198 10/99 Smith 139-125 646,329 3/00 Seaton 139-131 948,945 2/10 Smith 139-125 1,213,700 1/17 Smith 139125 2,976,892 5/61 Morin l39126 FOREIGN PATENTS 223,951 3 /5 8 Australia.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A WEAVING MACHINE; SLEY MEANS, A SHUTTLE MOVABLE OVER SAID SLEY MEANS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AND ADAPTED TO WITHDRAW A WEFT THREAD DIRECTLY FROM A COP WHEN MOVING IN ONE DIRECTION, SAID SLEY MEANS HAVING AN EFFECTIVE LENGTH GREATER THAN ONE WEAVING WIDTH, SAID SHUTTLE INCLUDING A CLAMPING MEMBER PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID SHUTTLE AND PROVIDED WITH A CAM SURFACE, SPRING MEANS CONTINUOUSLY URGING SAID CLAMPING MEMBER INTO CLAMPING POSITION, MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID SLEY MEANS AND OPERABLE TO ENGAGE SAID CAM SURFACE FOR MOVING 